Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC

Tibit Communications, Inc.

Kevin A Noll

Howard Pfeffer

Paul D Brooks

Peter H Wolff

David J Musser

Michael Kelsen

Edward Wayne Boyd

Kamil Ince

Jean-Christophe B A Marion

James A Fletcher

Thomas M Gaeble

Andrew P Chagnon

Jason Weil

Ronald Kevin McNuss

One embodiment provides a system and method for automatic discovery and configuration of tunnel endpoints in a network. During operation, the system can broadcast, from an active tunnel endpoint, a peer-discovery-request message to the network. In response to receiving a peer-discovery-response message from a passive tunnel endpoint, the system can determine whether the passive tunnel endpoint has a tunnel based on the received peer-discovery response. In response to determining that the passive tunnel endpoint does not have a tunnel, the system creates a tunnel between the active tunnel endpoint and the passive tunnel endpoint and exchanges tunnel-configuration messages over the created tunnel.

Method and system for automatic discovery of tunnel endpoints in a broadcast network

Methods and apparatus for asymmetric distribution of mixed content via a network. Current optical fiber-based access network technologies are multiplexed onto the same fiber for delivery via a common Optical Distribution Network (ODN). Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to combining (using optical multiplexing and power splitting) two or more optical user-technologies onto a single Passive Optical Network (PON) while maintaining an independent serving group size and operational independence for each of the combined user-technologies. The disclosed methods and apparatus allow the so-called 'outside plant' architecture (i.e., the fiber optic infrastructure from the headend to the customer premises) to be independent of the user-technologies and network architecture that are provided via the outside plant.

Methods and apparatus for asymmetric distribution of mixed content via a network

A single measurement agent installed at an aggregation point in a network is cycled through multiple network segments (or service groups) using a switching device. Detailed broadband measurement tests are performed on each network segment.

Switched measurement probe for large-scale broadband performance measurement

First video material is transmitted from a video source, over a video content network, to consumer premises equipment, via a hub router. The video source has a source address and there is a first path length between the hub router and the video source. Upon occurrence of a first triggering condition, a short route metric is announced from a supplemental video material server coupled to the hub router. The short route metric causes the hub router to perceive a second path length, between the hub router and the supplemental video material server, as shorter than the first path length. The supplemental video material server has a source address identical to the source address of the video source. Thus, the consumer premises equipment obtains supplemental video material from the supplemental video material server instead of first video material from the video source.

Multicast video advertisement insertion using routing protocols

First video material is transmitted from a video source, over a video content network, to consumer premises equipment, via a hub router. The video source has a source address and there is a first path length between the hub router and the video source. Upon occurrence of a first triggering condition, a short route metric is announced from a supplemental video material server coupled to the hub router. The short route metric causes the hub router to perceive a second path length, between the hub router and the supplemental video material server, as shorter than the first path length. The supplemental video material server has a source address identical to the source address of the video source. Thus, the consumer premises equipment obtains supplemental video material from the supplemental video material server instead of first video material from the video source. Aspects of a system and a supplemental video material server are also disclosed.

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Leesburg, VA, United States of America

Kevin A Noll